Exploring Taiwan in October – Unforgettable Memories - Klook Blog

Securing an E-Visa through the Taiwan Embassy's website for my trip to South Korea last year was swift and convenient, taking just 5 minutes to obtain the necessary travel authorization. For those already holding Korean visas, you can apply for visa waivers via the provided link with instructions available in Vietnamese.

For those without visas for Korea, or other countries like the US, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, or Schengen nations, please refer to the instructions in the provided link to prepare your documents accordingly.

Our group strategically took advantage of Vietjet's zero-dollar promotions for our planned trip. After a few days of anticipation, we happily secured round-trip tickets from Hanoi to Taipei for just 2700K, inclusive of taxes but exclusive of checked baggage fees. If you're planning a trip to Taiwan, it's advisable to hunt for tickets in advance during promotional periods to save significantly on other expenses during your journey.

When it comes to checked baggage, pre-purchasing online proves to be more economical than buying directly at the airport. Depending on the airline's regulations, it's essential to consider your additional baggage needs. Despite purchasing our Vietjet tickets months ahead, we waited until closer to the departure date to arrange our checked baggage, considering factors like weather and practicality to determine our luggage requirements.

Based on popular opinion and limited vacation days, I opted for Taipei and Sun Moon Lake for this journey. Utilizing Airbnb for accommodation in the past, I revisited the website to find a suitable place. Our group set criteria for lodging: cleanliness, essential amenities like electricity and hot water, proximity to subway stations, and central shopping areas. Finally, close to departure, I stayed up until 2 AM to secure a condominium on the 8th floor, centrally located in Ximending's Red Line area, just a 2-minute walk from Ximen subway station. The price was reasonable, around 1000K/night for 3 people.

Primarily, we relied on subways and buses. Purchasing an MRT EasyCard in advance through Klook proved more economical than buying at the airport. Additionally, for those planning to take the THSR train to Taichung or Kaohsiung, buying through Klook offers further savings.

I chose these modes not only for their affordability but also because I genuinely enjoy the experience of using public transportation, followed by leisurely strolls through the streets and visits to attractions. It's through this approach that I truly immerse myself in the local culture, atmosphere, and way of life. That's what I always cherish most about all my trips.

Easier Commuting with Pre-booked Klook Train Pass

It's a sure bet to purchase in advance on Klook for better prices compared to at the airport. The usage is simple and extremely convenient. I opted for a 4G Sim since it only requires insertion for instant internet access, unlike the multi-step process in Korea. Plus, using a sim card is more convenient for me as I tend to wander, ensuring we can stay connected if anyone gets lost 😄

Booking accommodations on Airbnb is truly something, and this time, it's exceptionally INTERESTING. Our flight from Hanoi was at 14:05, and we left Taoyuan Airport at 18:00. The simple reason being the airport was excessively crowded, resulting in lengthy immigration procedures. It took about 1 hour to get from the airport to Ximen station, and another 3 hours to find our accommodation because every single one of us is naturally directionally challenged since birth, straight from Hanoi.

The thing is, after booking the place, nearing your departure date, the host sends the door code or instructions for key pickup. And when you finally receive the instructions, ironically, I was too complacent to read them beforehand. So, upon setting foot, our mission was to find a room near Exit 2 of Ximen Station to collect the key and head to the booked place right across the street, in the center of the market. Sounds easy, but to realize the ease, we wandered around Ximen station the entire first evening. The house numbers in the instructions were clear, but in reality, the house numbers in Taiwan are tiny, attached to the side of the building rather than on the gate like back home. Therefore, after some inquiries, we deduced that we had to enter the adjacent apartment building, find a shop named Dosuper Foods, and the key room was right next to it. But alas, the shop had two entrances, while the key room had only one door facing outward, and of course, we walked into the wrong entrance. Fortunately, there was a kind elderly security guard who saw us wandering aimlessly and rushed to help. This area is frequented by many foreign tourists, so the guard must be used to it and spoke English fairly well. He spoke in brief but clear and understandable English. Eventually, after some discussion, he led us to the key room after a while. It was truly astonishing because it was the first time we had seen a room full of key boxes like that. The plastic boxes were neatly stacked, each with a code on the outside to distinguish which box belonged to which house. But the important thing was even after turning the dial to the correct 4-digit combination, the key box still wouldn't open. And then, ta-da, we struggled again. After a while of trying unsuccessfully to open the key box and failing to reach the host by phone, we ran around in a panic looking for the security guard. Luckily, he was still around, and he helped us call the host using his phone. The most adorable part was when we heard a few sentences of Chinese, the guard called us 'three young ladies' (sounded nice in Chinese or something), followed by something about not being able to open some lock or another, hehe. After asking for a while and still not being able to open the lock, even though we had used all our strength to pull the key box down. Then, suddenly, as I was pulling and pushing the black lid down, the lock fell out. And we were overjoyed. Then it was time to look for the house. We walked through this market row to that market row, but the circular dot on Google Maps was still in the wrong direction. Each person we asked gave a different direction. By the time the market had dwindled down, and we calmly read the instructions carefully, we found the sign with the name as in the picture. It was simply a black sign and was tiny, nestled in between the big apartment buildings.

But the task wasn't over yet. Wanting to use the elevator to reach our floor, we needed to swipe the key into the chip box from the elevator, but my key just couldn't register floor 8 no matter how many times I swiped. Floor 8 was the only one inaccessible. All other floors were accessible. It was quite frustrating, especially since it was 10 PM. If there had been someone else with us at that moment, witnessing three clueless souls going in and out of three elevators then standing cluelessly, there would probably be a hilarious clip by now. Eventually, after several failed attempts to reach floor 8, a resident living in the apartment building showed me another gray chip box – the chip box right below the black one I had swiped earlier – and floor 8 opened straight away.

Finally, my secret rose garden appeared before us with three starving souls. Despite our spirits being sky-high, the young bunch rushed straight to the market and indulged in some really amazing things: spicy garlic sausage – we got addicted after the first bite, so we ended up having it every evening, various fruits, meatball noodles,...

1914 Park

The park is vast with plenty of greenery and grassy areas for leisurely strolls. Moreover, there are many rustic walls and props for perfect Instagram shots. Right at the subway exit, there are aromatic banana cakes and egg cakes. Although our stomachs and noses favored the egg cakes, our eyes were fixed on the banana cakes, so we accidentally bought banana cakes, only to realize the aroma we smelled was from the shop behind.

Long Son Pagoda

The initial impression of this place is the sense of antiquity, sanctity, and the weathered wooden architecture that makes one feel like stepping into a distant past. Plus, the scent of incense in the air adds to the charm. Here, people are given a stick of incense each, and if they want to light it, they must go and ask for permission first before approaching the lit candles. It's not permitted for one person to take incense for others. Whether for worship or sightseeing, everyone queues up and moves around solemnly, maintaining the serene atmosphere. It's truly admirable how they protect and preserve cultural heritage.

The second impression is the giant zodiac circle in front of Long Son Pagoda's gate. Remember to stop by and check in with your zodiac sign.

Dam Thuy

I planned to come here to watch the sunset and enjoy seafood, but it seems the sunset here fades quite early. I arrived at the port a little after 4 PM, but the sun had already dipped below the horizon on the other side, leaving only a reddish glow. The wind at the port is quite strong and chilly, yet it feels very peaceful. Since we only spent an afternoon and evening here, our group couldn't explore the entire port but focused on the night market and strolling around the port. All I can say is it's absolutely fantastic. The squid here is very delicious and fresh. My favorite is the grilled squid with chili sauce, as it's not marinated and just grilled with chili sauce, so it's not greasy at all. The price is also very reasonable at 150k per squid. There are also 30cm long French fries and Turkish fruit ice cream (I just ordered this for fun). If you like, you can make a fun clip with this ice cream, it'll probably get quite a few views.

Dam Thuy Port in the afternoon of October

Cu Phan Ancient Village

Cu Phan is a small village nestled in the mountains. The road leading up here is stunning. I slept all the way from the city until I woke up, one side was a vast, deep blue sea, with the sun spreading across the sea, shimmering gold. I love ancient architecture, so Cu Phan is also one of my favorite destinations. The small old town is bustling with tourists. It's like the rush hour in Hanoi or Saigon, moving step by step in just a few minutes. Along both sides of the street are countless souvenir shops, tea stalls, eateries, etc.

Explore Cu Phan with Klook

Due to the crowd and later the rain, we didn't have any Instagrammable moments here other than food. We even accidentally stopped at a condom store and thought it was a children's toy store because it looked too colorful from the outside. Only upon entering the gate did we realize it wasn't 🙂

Thap Phan

Our group didn't go to many places, so we could stay longer at the places we liked and skip others if we didn't have enough time. Therefore, we spent almost the whole day in Cu Phan, and moved to Thap Phan as the sunset was slowly fading. Another memorable experience for this trip is trying the train on the Pingxi branch line - where people often release lanterns and take pictures. Since it's a local railway and it's been a while, the trains are quite sparse. One train per hour. The train rolls slowly along the Pingxi route, as peaceful as the atmosphere of that late afternoon. And as the evening falls, it's quiet. Only the sound of train wheels, train horns, and then we stopped at Thap Phan without even realizing when.

Release Lanterns and Make Wishes at Thap Phan

Both sides of the road glittered with colorful sky lanterns flying up in batches. Many young people went out to take pictures right at the train station where I got off. Walking further up a fairly long stretch is where people are releasing sky lanterns and praying. There are many shops selling lanterns along this road. We chose a shop at the beginning of the row and started writing down wishes, and the next day, a staff member from the shop lit the lanterns for us and posed in various ways, even advising on posing before letting them go. Adorable to the max. On the way back, I returned to the train station and discovered a very beautiful sloping alley. Looking at it reminded me of the legendary alley in Dalat in the movie 'The Scent of April'. Just regret that I didn't have time to take any pictures before the train arrived.

Easily Travel to Cu Phan, Thap Phan with Klook Bus Tickets

Yongkang Beef Noodles

Leaving Thap Phan when it was dark, all three of us just wandered around feeling hungry. The plan was to head straight to Yongkang for beef noodles and snowflake mango. We returned to Ruifang Station, caught bus 1062 back to the city. But in the evening, the bus didn't drop off at the same point as in the morning, I only remember passing by Raohe Night Market for a while and getting off at a nearby station. It started drizzling, but luckily from the station to Yongkang Street wasn't far.

It was only 8 pm, but the famous traditional beef noodle shop since 1963 was closed, so our group chose another shop right on the street. I don't know how good the traditional shop is, but Yongkang beef noodles are indeed famous. Absolutely delicious. The broth is sweet and fragrant with the aroma of spices mixed with fresh onions, combined with strands of pure, flavorful wheat noodles.

Explore the Distinctive Flavor of Beef Noodles in Taipei

Setting foot here, it feels like stepping into a real gem. The lake is as green as jade, occasionally shimmering with a touch of golden sunlight, very poetic. If you come to the lake early in the morning, you will witness an even more mystical scene because of the thin mist floating on the lake, a gentle chill breeze, and the gentle green water. Our group decided not to book any transportation in advance before coming here because we were afraid that if it rained on that day, we wouldn't be able to go out much. Therefore, we chose a sunny day to go to Taipei Main Station to buy THSR tickets, and then took a bus directly to the lake.

We rented bicycles from 10 am until 6 pm, and the price wasn't too expensive, so we leisurely rode bikes to admire the lake and stopped to take pictures as we pleased, then continued on.

Enjoy 01 day at Sun Moon Lake with Klook shuttle service

Last day in Taiwan, and we experienced an earthquake. Went to Taipei 101 for Din Tai Fung and mainly to try authentic YSL lipstick, so we lingered in this area for quite a while. Just as we stepped into Din Tai Fung, the phone suddenly vibrated, and everyone frantically took out their phones to check. Thankfully, it was just a minor 3.0 Richter scale tremor. But at night, the real shake happened, shaking the whole house, the lights, and everything. It felt like riding a super-fast roller coaster.

Din Tai Fung is undoubtedly delicious, and the service is very fast and careful even though the line is long and crowded.

Taipei 101, like any other major shopping center, features many famous brands such as Apple, Louis Vuitton, YSL, Dior, Chanel, etc. The ground floor is also a food and supermarket area. The most impressive thing for me is the streets around this tower, which look very upscale and modern. From the back entrance of the tower, there's an elevated walkway connecting to the ATT 4Fun Mall - a shopping complex with various brands like Zara, Home, Watson, Forever 21, etc. And outside are shady tree-lined streets and modern office buildings. After wandering around and trying the famous 1973 fried chicken, I took another subway ride to Xiangshan Station and serendipitously discovered a park filled with greenery in the heart of this bustling area. The park has many old trees with large roots sprouting from the ground. There's even a small forest conserving rare frogs. It was raining and getting dark, so I couldn't capture any satisfactory photos. The one below is a corner of the park overlooking Taipei 101 where I braved the rain to pose.

Get your Taipei 101 tickets now with Klook to admire the panoramic view of Taipei

Independent travel is priceless experiences for young people that you can't exchange for anything. Every journey is a growth and maturity, a further enrichment of life and a winging for many dreams and plans. So just take off and chase your dreams.

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